


You're Not Theirs Anymore

by kittyhazelnut



Category: Phineas and Ferb, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
Genre: Gen, Heinz traps Perry for the last time, and finds his locket for the first, can be read as romantic or platonic, how tf do I tag pre-cyborg 2D Perry, was written as an intimate mix of the two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27139738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyhazelnut/pseuds/kittyhazelnut
Summary: “I’d thought I had everything I’d ever wanted, but I don’t want it if you’re not by my side.”
Relationships: Heinz Doofenshmirtz (2nd Dimension) & Perry the Platypus (2nd Dimension), Heinz Doofenshmirtz (2nd Dimensoin) / Perry the Platypus (2nd Dimension)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	You're Not Theirs Anymore

It’s been a horrific few days in the fight between good and evil. The two sides had been evenly matched for a while, a delicate balance that no one had dared disrupt for the longest time, but the moment those robots were let into the streets… Well, OWCA never stood a chance. 

But Perry’s not OWCA. He’s not going to give up just because his organization was burned to the ground. Heinz Doofenshmirtz is _his_ nemesis, and he’s not letting his nemesis take over the tri-state area without a fight. If there’s even the slightest chance that he could save his city, he has to try. 

It doesn’t take long to realize that this is a fruitless battle to fight from afar. Every robot he takes down seems to be replaced by two more, and though he may be skilled, he can’t take out hundreds of these things on his own. No, if he wants to save his city, he’s going to have to go straight to the top.

_♩ ♫ Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated ♪ ♩_

And that brings them to where they are now. Heinz has trapped him more times than he can count, but this is the first time he’s done so without an easy means of escape. He’s locked in, metal arms grabbing all five of his limbs so tightly that one wrong move would probably dislocate them. Even if he _could_ move, with the army of robots surrounding them, he wouldn’t get far. 

So this is it.

This is how it ends.

“Ah, Perry the Platypus,” Heinz drawls, “how unexpected! And by unexpected, I truly _do_ mean unexpected.”

Perry raises an eyebrow. Unexpected? They’re nemeses, aren’t they? He wasn’t going to leave his duties behind just because he no longer had the upper hand.

“I know, I know,” Heinz says as though reading Perry’s mind. That’s no surprise; they’ve always been on the same wavelength, if on opposite ends of it. “This is what you _do_. But after I took down your beloved OWCA, I almost thought you would _leave_ , take what little chance you had for a hasty escape and retreat before it was too late.” He looks down at the platypus with a fond smile. “This makes much more sense, though. I’d been receiving reports of broken Normbots since I first let them loose. I should have known you were behind it.

Perry gives a small, unsympathetic shrug. That’s part of the job, after all. 

Of course, this is more than _just another job_ , and they both know that. Perry’s never felt so wary, so uncertain about how this is going to go over. He’s not sure how he’s going to get out of here, but he can’t admit it; he can’t let it show. Heinz already thinks he’s won, but the moment he realizes that Perry is inclined to agree, it’s all over. That’s the one thing he knows about Heinz -- his insecurities are his biggest weakness. Perry just has to figure out how to use that to his advantage.

“I can’t believe it took me this long to think of it,” Heinz adds. “I mean, _robots!_ Of course! You’d think that would have been obvious. Still, better late than never, I suppose.”

Perry narrows his eyes.

Heinz sighs. “I know, you think you can just break out of those restraints and take on my army of robots all by yourself like the superhero you are, and you know what? I think you could, too.”

In all honesty, Perry _hadn’t_ been under the impression that he could do that, so the fact that Heinz thinks he can would do wonders for his ego if the circumstances were different. 

“As long as you’re still out there, you’re a threat,” Heinz continues. “A threat to my rule; a threat to everything I’ve built and everything I _will_ build. No matter where I put you, if left to your own devices, you’ll find a way to fight back -- and I admire that about you; I really do. You and I have that in common, that _persistence_. But you know what separates us in that regard?” Heinz pauses, likely for dramatic effect because he _knows_ Perry isn’t going to answer. “ _You_ let yourself be bound down by rules. _I_ take what I want, and I have no qualms about getting rid of what I don’t.”

 _Getting rid of what I don’t_.

Perry swallows hard. He’s not naive; he knows that despite all the complexities of their nemesisship, Heinz would place his ambitions over their relationship every time. If he views Perry as a threat and if he gets rid of what he doesn’t want… Well, it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.

“And you know where you fit into this?” Heinz asks.

Perry glares at him, as much hatred in his eyes as he can possibly muster.

“You’re one of the things I want.”

Wait.

What?

Perry’s gaze softens, almost involuntarily. He’d thought for sure that this was going to be the end of him. He’d been so sure that there would be no place for someone like him in this new world that Heinz is trying to bring about. He’d never once considered that maybe Heinz would _want_ him here. But why...?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Heinz says. “‘Why would I _want_ you by my side when all you’ve ever done is fight back against my every move, right?”

Well, yes, that would about sum it up.

“You’ve always been a dangerous enemy,” Heinz says, “but with a little push in the right direction, you would be a _very_ powerful ally.”

Perry shakes his head. Heinz can’t really be dumb enough to think he would sacrifice everything he loves for him, even if it meant a spot at the right hand of the man in charge. He’s not like that. He’s not power-hungry like Heinz is, and he’s sure the man knows that.

“Oh, don’t worry; I’m not expecting you to _want_ to join me,” Heinz says. “We may have something special, but you still have your _morals_ and your _sense of decency_ and you would never sell out your city of your own free will.”

Perry gives a small smirk. At least Heinz knows him _that_ well.

“So I’m going to take free will out of the equation.”

Perry can _feel_ the blood draining from his face. He’d been prepared for a lot from his nemesis, but this is… He can’t do that. He wouldn’t. At least, _his_ Heinz wouldn’t, but maybe this new Supreme Leader Doofenshmirtz isn’t his Heinz after all.

Heinz must notice his unease -- of course he does; Heinz has always been good at reading him -- because he comes closer, his gaze softening. His facade of a confident, overly-ambitious leader dissipates, and suddenly he’s _not_ Supreme Leader of the Tri-State Area; he’s just Heinz Doofenshmirtz, OWCA’s third-most-wanted and Perry’s all-time favorite recurring case. This is the version of his nemesis that he knows and, dare he say it, that he loves.

“It’s going to be okay,” Heinz assures him. “You won’t even know what you’re doing; you won’t care. You won’t have to worry about the guilt. I’ll make sure of it.”

Perry shakes his head weakly. This can’t be happening. It just can’t be. Heinz would never turn him into a… a _monster_. They have too much respect for each other to try to _change_ one another. Right?

Heinz kneels down in front of him, putting them at eye level with one another. “We’ve always had so much fun as nemeses, haven’t we? Think of this as… think of it as an upgrade. You and me against the world. You see the potential there, don’t you?” He cups Perry’s face in his hand, a gesture so gentle that Perry almost forgets the weight of the conversation. “I’d thought I had everything I’d ever wanted, but I don’t want it if you’re not by my side.”

He sounds so emotional, so brutally honest, that for the briefest moment, Perry looks into his eyes and he can almost see himself saying yes. He wouldn’t want this -- of _course_ he wouldn’t want this -- but Heinz is going to win either way. Why _shouldn’t_ he choose the route without the regret, without the constant fighting and the constant _losing?_ Why should he have to suffer through this uphill battle to stop a man who’s about to prove himself unstoppable? 

It’s Heinz who breaks that trance, as unlikely as that may sound. His hand slides down Perry’s face, a comforting gesture, but it stops when his pinky brushes over his neck. Heinz purses his lips, intrigued, and before Perry can process what’s happening, Heinz has two fingers looped under his collar.

 _The_ collar.

His most prized possession.

“What’s this?” Heinz wonders aloud, and in a swift movement, he pulls it off.

That’s what does it for him. Perry is _not_ letting Heinz take him down without a fight. He can’t believe he almost _did_ , as if his kids aren’t just a few streets away and probably scared out of their minds. If they saw him hurting anyone… If he were to hurt _them_ … He shudders to even think about it. 

Perry struggles against the restraints, and each movement sends jolts of pain through his body. These restraints may have him on lock, but he _will_ get out of them, he will take that locket back, and he will _take Heinz Doofenshmirtz down_. 

Heinz is either oblivious to his anguish or just choosing to ignore it. He pops the locket open and gives a quiet _awwww_. “Is that you?” He looks up at the platypus, who gives an angry snarl. “Oh, you were such a cute baby!” He pushes himself to his feet and turns his body slightly as if trying to catch the light just right. He holds it closer to his face, squinting. “And those two kids… They must be…”

Perry pulls his right arm back with so much force that the metal restraint holding it back breaks. His shoulder is _throbbing_ , but with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he can ignore it with ease. He reaches forward, _this close_ to grabbing hold of his nemesis, but Heinz steps back just in time. 

“Well, if you’re getting that defensive over them, I can only assume they’re your family,” Heinz remarks, and he _smiling_. This is all of Perry’s worst fears come to life all at once, and he’s _fucking smiling_. “Well, don’t worry, Perry the Platypus. You’re not going to be needing this anymore.” 

Heinz slips the collar into his pocket, and now Perry is _fuming_. He really has the audacity not just to snatch that locket from around Perry’s neck, but to _keep_ it, too? Not if Perry has anything to say about it. His right arm grips the restraint holding back his left and he throws all his weight to the side. It didn’t break, but he could feel it give just a little bit. If he can keep going, if he just…

Heinz sighs. “You, that Normbot right there, hold him down, will you?”

Perry tries to fight back, but with only one free limb, he doesn’t have much fight to give. The Normbot comes up behind him and pulls him into what almost feels like a cold, hard hug. Perry winces at the pressure against his shoulders. He was right -- one wrong movement really _did_ dislocate them.

As if reading his mind, Heinz says a patronizing, “You should have _known_ that was going to hurt. But don’t worry; I can fix you up. You’ll be good as new -- better than new, even.”

Perry narrows his eyes. 

“That was a _really_ strong reaction for just a _locket_ , though.” Heinz pulls it out of his pocket and opens it again, studying it for a moment. “You care about those boys a lot, don’t you?”

Perry does his best to throw his elbow back against the Normbot, which, had it been a human holding him, would have incapacitated him at least long enough that Perry could break free. Buth with a robot… Well, it hurts Perry a lot more than it hurts Norm, that much is obvious.

Heinz takes that as all the confirmation he could need. “Well, you shouldn’t. You’re not theirs anymore, Perry; you’re mine.” He closes the locket once more. “But, as a special courtesy from me to you, if I see them, I’ll leave them alone.” He brushes a thumb against Perry’s cheek, and this time it’s not endearing; it’s cold and condescending. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”


End file.
